Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-07
CASTE IN THE NAVY.
The Difference Between a Big Cap
tain and u Common Doctor.

n
tain and u Common Doctor.
[From the Brooklyn Eagle.l
| The following screed, written by naval
| officer for private circulation and not intend
ed for general publication, was found in the
| navy-yard Saturday. Tt shows very plainly
how badly doctors are treated in Uncle
Sans service and explains why good medical
men prefer to remain in civil life:
When the first of the Roach cruisers ar
rived at the navy-yard it was found that by
some strange oversight comfortable place
had been allowed for the sick. The COM
manding officer of the vessel, discovering
this fact, Immediately rectifed it. The sur
geon of the ship on finding the change went
into the cabin to see about it. He made
some mild inquiries on the subject, when
the captain in tones of thunder asked
"What do you mean, sir, by coming into my
cabin, sir, and making -gestlons,
sir, about my ship, sir" and incontinently
bounced the terrified doctor, sir, out of his
cabin, sir. The doctor was so terrified that
| his hair, with the exception of slight fore
1 lock, turned white. 1t was only after the
! most abject and profuse apologies that the
| captain allowed him to stay in the-I beg
| pardon, in his-service. On one of the ves-
| sells during the war young doctor, just
/ caught, had the temerity to put man on
1 the sick list whom the captain did not want
there. The man only had pneumonia or
something like that. 1t couldn't have been
| a fever, because the first lieutenant always
kept the berth deck (where the men sleep)
| wet nicely with salt water. The captain at
once sent for the doctor and demanded to
| know how he dared to put that man on the
sick list. The frightened doctor attempted
to humble some feeble excuses, when the
captain roared out: 'fSilence, sir, when you
70
poor doctor flew from the cabin and was
| next heard of at Omaha on his way west.
/ It is believed he is still going.
Another instance occurred where the doc
| tor of ship had the audacity to complain
| because all the breathing places and all the
1 bathrooms, closets, &C., were appropriated
| by the captain, while the other officers and
| the crew were confined to the lower decks.
| This was none of the doctors business, as
| this state of things had always obtained and
I does still obtain. The captain at once had
| the doctor court martialled and condemned
/ to death. But the doctor had pull and his
/ friends had the sentence mitigated to i'm
| prisonment for life. He is now serving out
| his term on the Wet Tortugas. Notwith :
| standing all these privileges it is impossible
/ to get medical men to enter the navy. They
1 have other advantages. Whether married
| or single, when doctor enters the service he
/ is allowed to eat, sleep, dress and undress in
| a real sociable manner, in a nice little room
l in the steerage, about six by eight, with a
dozen midshipmen. Still they won't come.
| I can't imagine what they want. It must be
| the earth. Thank goodness there is no aris-
| tocracy in the lower ranks of our navy.
A Picture of Lady Churchill.
From Olive Logan's London Letter.l
Photographs of Lady Randolph Churchill
| abound. We see her American ladyship in
| court dress, in walking costume, in ball
dress. With these photographs, as with
those of all of us, the general features of the
| face and form are presented satisfactorily
| enough, but the light that shines behind the
| eyes, the flame from the unquenchable fire
| Of the soul, Is absent. The crowding world
| of all London, which was present at Henry
| Irving's single afternoon representation OF
"Werner," f" brought me into elbow rubbing
proximity with Lady Randolph as she and
| her lord stood waiting for their carriage IN
the gilded lobby of the Lyceum. Talent
and determination are written in characters
unmistakable upon this young wifes face.
The wide brow shows the mind to conceive
\ and the square chin proclaims the power to
| execute There could not be single d1sas-
trous eventuality in life in which the judg-
ment and advice of this beautifully clear
eyed woman would not be of comforting
value. Those dark, limpid eyes are large
and full of thought; there is gravity, but
| not sadness, worn upon the immobile lips.
Though comely in face and form, Lady Ran
dolph would never be placed upon the lists
as professional beauty. She has too much
brains.
She was attired in tight-ftting dress of
small blue and gray plaid silk and wore a
peaked stringless bonnet of black lace,
upon the summit of which handful of gold
hearted daisies nodded prettily. Lord Ran
dolph made his way leisurely through the
crowd, which evidently contained many Of
his admirers, for he was greeted with hearty